Perry Farrel warns that he prefers not to talk so much about Lollapalooza Argentina 2023 -which begins this Friday and already has all its seats sold- and that the conversation is focused 100% on Jane’s Addiction, who will perform there this Saturday the 18th in the afternoon. The singer devised this festival to say goodbye to his group in 1991 and over time transformed it into one of the most important brands in the global music industry. That is why now he is putting things in their place and wants to give the importance it deserves to this, which will happen despite the fact that the covid got in the way twice: last year they got off at the last minute due to close contact and now they will finally have their revenge… Although without the historic guitarist David Navarrowho is still suffering from the consequences of the virus and decided not to participate in the tour.
“We are old and tired”, jokes the bassist Eric Avery at the start of the video call with teleshow. From Los Angeles, where they were created & spread, this half of the group that completes the drummer on stage Stephen Perkins and Josh Klinghoffer -the ex Red Hot Chili Peppers replaces Navarro live- promises a show with novelties and the golden glow of a blend of his three foundational albums: the direct Jane’s Addiction (1987), Nothing’s Shocking (88) and Ritual of the Usual (90), those with whom they outlined a horizon alternative in full transition between hair metal and grunge.
Since those days when the four original members of the band did not spend time together in the same space to create, but now they are recreating that long-awaited chemistry. “We’re working on new music and some of it we’re going to play on the show, without feeling pressured by any record company to release it to the public. We’re going to do the first song we recorded when we got back together. The one with which we all raised our eyebrows at the same time and a smile crossed our faces”, warns Perry while Eric clarifies that it would be a different song from “True Love”, one that they premiered days ago in California.
“Making a new Jane’s Addiction record is great because we have this kind of freedom to be outside of the old, traditional record system. We also accumulate skills that we did not have 30 years ago. And we also have new tools at our disposal. We just hit the road, like the song we’re going to play for the first time there, where all the parts came together in the studio, for one afternoon. And we catch fire”, says the bassist about this renewed energy.
“We felt like we were back in the house of wilton, which was a large home in which we all used to live. There we had the garage in the backyard, with lots of rugs we stole from the neighborhood dumpsters and egg cartons for soundproofing… It feels like that again. We’re like in that studio, working on the material, we open the door and… Oh, there’s the police!” Perry says and laughs.
—And what inspires you about the world we live in today?
Perry: —Before you put on your shoes you already have some inspiration today. I mean, there is the environment in which we have to live and work. There are strong men who attack dictators against whom we have to fight. There are also people who are inundated right now. There’s a lot going on around the world and here’s the difference: today we get to hear about all of that. In the past, we would find out what was happening in Los Angeles and what was happening in the family, and at most, we had a news channel. But today you listen to everything, at all times. You find out, my God, that they are cutting down the rainforest at a ferocious rate. 80% of the rainforest is disappearing as a result of a bad guy who loves money. Those lungs of the Earth were destroyed… So for inspiration, you just need to grab your phone in the morning, before you set foot on the ground. Is there.
—How do you feel playing with Josh? What is your contribution in this new live Jane’s Addiction?
Eric: —He is reimagining our music. Every night is different and Perry maybe stretches out the songs, asks for one more lap and stops singing so Josh can play a little more, expand everything, do his solo… He gives us great dynamism live which is fantastic. Also, I love him as a person, so for me he is a win-win.
Perry: —I’m lucky to work with Josh at this point in my life, because I never liked the idea of a “musician recital”. The people who come to see us love to hear us like this, live. They want to see us truly live. That’s why my favorite musicians and bands have always been those who can do something like Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan either The Stooges, that every time they stood on a stage it was as if they were getting on a horse they don’t know that well. But they still ride to travel as fast as possible, even without knowing if that horse likes them. That horse could challenge you. That sense of danger makes the music even bigger. And Josh is that guy: he’ll gallop and you have to hold onto the reins and ride him, bobbing up and down on your heels. If you’re wrong, your ass will smack (imitate a rough gallop) against his back. So you just have to make sure you are with the horse and not against it.
—Is Klinghoffer the only guitarist you are working with on the new recordings?
Eric: —We are with three: Josh, Troy Van Leeuwen and we also summon a guy named David Navarro. You may know him.
—Dave is not on tour but he is with you in the studio.
Perry: —You never know what can happen when a person had covid. Some take a long, long, long time to recover. And then something happens to them that halves the duration of their suffering. You have to be cautious when talking about Dave Navarro’s life, but what we can say is that he is improving. We are living in the moment and always praying that the band can be fully united. So don’t be surprised if there are new additions. Because it’s great to play with Josh. I’d love to keep playing with Josh, but that’s a private conversation… Mind you, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to play with Dave. What I mean is that it would be great if we could expand.
“Gentlemen and ladies: we have more influence with your children than you have, but we love them…”, pronounced in an unforgettable robotic Spanish, almost artificial intelligence, a female voice in the prelude to the explosion of “Stop!”, opening track of the classic Ritual…, that even the Creoles babasónicos sampled on “Muthafacka” from their debut Grass (1992). Do you still feel influenced by the younger ones or are your children the ones who influence you? “Yeah, and it’s really fun. Some people go to Disneyland, right? And enjoy the ride. I have friends who still go there because they just love it. But imagine still going there, but now you have children. Then it’s almost like a new joy awakens in you. It’s like you’re rediscovering or discovering it, looking at it from a fresh, new perspective, being a parent,” says Perry.
And he expands: “I feel the same when we are in lollapalooza and I see these new young musicians with their vision of the world, for better or worse. The greatest sages taught me that the duty and mission of each generation is to turn the world around. So I’m watching it happen in real time. I’m watching young musicians go around the world. And as an old anarchist I like chaos. Chaos is beautiful.”
—Is there something that makes you feel old or do you take rock as an antidote to always feel young?
Eric: —I would say that being young forever is not something I see as a goal. I understand the idea of having energy and staying involved in your life as you aim and as you get older. But I like being an older man. I don’t want to be young forever. I am enjoying my life now much more than I did when I was 20 years old. And I’m enjoying music and my career so much more now than I did back then, so I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I don’t need antidotes.
Perry: —If we talk about eternity, we have it. It’s in the music. I would like to believe that the music we make is timeless. People have said that about us: “Man, this song still holds up.” So if there’s any sense of eternity, it’s in those songs. And I will also tell you that now, in my golden years, I know for a fact that music is the fountain of youth. Because I’ve never been in such good shape. And of course I have to take care of myself a lot more, but modern medicine, modern psychology, everything modern, will keep us young for much longer than when we were starting out. There was everything to destroy yourself in those days. And now… For example, last night I was sleeping with a thermal and infrared blanket that helps the joints. And I also have a stimulator. I had electrodes placed on my neck and back which took away the pain I often experience in those areas. There are all these little new tools and weapons that we have to fight the age. And I try each and every one of them.
* Jane’s Addiction will play at Lollapalooza Argentina on Saturday, March 18 at 6:45 p.m. on the Samsung Stage
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